Reebok was founded for one of the best reasons possible: athletes wanted to run faster. So in the 1890s, joseph william Foster made some of the first known running shoes with spikes in them. By 1895, he was in business making shoes by hand for top runners; and before long his fledgling company, j.W. Foster and sons, developed an international clientele of distinguished athletes. Reebok was founded for one of the best reasons possible: athletes wanted to run faster. So in the 1890s, Joseph William Foster made some of the first known running shoes with spikes in them. By 1895, he was in business making shoes by hand for top runners; and before long his fledgling company, J.W. Foster and Sons, developed an international clientele of distinguished athletes.